--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: States that promote liberal hegemony…" description: "\"States that promote liberal hegemony invariably damage the fabric of liberalism inside their own borders.\" — John Mearsheimer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59f/john-mearsheimer-3817_borders_states-that-promote-liberal-hegemony-inv_1080092.jpg" --- # States that promote liberal hegemony invariably damage the… ![“States that promote liberal hegemony invariably damage the fabric of liberalism inside their own borders.” quote by John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59f/john-mearsheimer-3817_borders_states-that-promote-liberal-hegemony-inv_1080092.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59f/john-mearsheimer-3817_borders_states-that-promote-liberal-hegemony-inv_1080092.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59f/john-mearsheimer-3817_borders_states-that-promote-liberal-hegemony-inv_1080092.jpg) > “States that promote liberal hegemony invariably damage the fabric of liberalism inside their own borders.” [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Liberal hegemony weakens domestic liberal values by imposing external ideals. **In simple terms:** Powerful states erode their own freedoms. Key Takeaway Beware of exporting ideology. Themes politics liberalism foreign policy Mood cautious critical Type analytical political When to use this quote - government policy - international relations - public discourse Key Concepts hegemony ideological diffusion domestic impact Questions to Reflect On - How does external pressure affect internal freedoms? - Can liberalism survive without hegemony? A Different Perspective Assumes all liberal states act uniformly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Hegemony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hegemony/) [Liberal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberal/) [Liberalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberalism/) ## Related quotes > [“If you are in favour of global liberal hegemony, you are the enemy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-dugin/if-you-are-in-favour-of-global-liberal-hegemony-you-are-the-enemy/) Alexander Dugin > [The question of whether or not the United States or any other great power should expand, should pursue regional hegemony, or pursue global hegemony,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/the-question-of-whether-or-not-the-united-states-or-any-other-great/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [When the 2008 victory of Barack Obama and the defeat of grumpy old John McCain began looking, um, inevitable, I started fielding inquiries about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/when-the-2008-victory-of-barack-obama-and-the-defeat-of-grumpy-old/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [“The divisions in our world are not a result of religious or of culture, but are politically based. There is an imbalance of power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-archer/the-divisions-in-our-world-are-not-a-result-of-religious-or-of/) Karen Archer > [“Monotonous talk of the end of American hegemony, the universal cliché of the period, is mostly a way of avoiding mounting a serious opposition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/monotonous-talk-of-the-end-of-american-hegemony-the-universal-clich/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [The UDHR has become an iconic document over the course of more than six decades, the starting point for discussions of whether or not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-a-falk/the-udhr-has-become-an-iconic-document-over-the-course-of-more-than/) [Richard A. Falk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-a-falk/) > [Even strong as they are today, rich countries should have no illusion: nobody is safe in aworld of injustices.War will never bring security.War can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva/even-strong-as-they-are-today-rich-countries-should-have-no-illusion/) [Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva/) > [Hegemony is as old as mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/hegemony-is-as-old-as-mankind/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [The United States came out of the 1990s, if anything, in an even greater position of hegemony and preeminence than it was at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis-gaddis/the-united-states-came-out-of-the-1990s-if-anything-in-an-even/) [John Lewis Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis-gaddis/) > [“Creating consent (hegemony) is never a simple act. It is rather the result of the social structures and the cultural patterns that dictates for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amine-zidouh/creating-consent-hegemony-is-never-a-simple-act-it-is-rather-the/) Amine Zidouh > [One cannot discuss Europe without understanding US imperial hegemony, both globally and certainly in Europe as it stands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ali/one-cannot-discuss-europe-without-understanding-us-imperial-hegemony/) [Tariq Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ali/) > [Illness reduces man to his basic state: a cloaca in which the chemical processes continue. The meaningless hegemony of the involuntary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/illness-reduces-man-to-his-basic-state-a-cloaca-in-which-the-chemical/) [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) > [“One way or another, we spend our whole lives being conditioned into accepting some line or order, some position of domination or subjection. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-james/one-way-or-another-we-spend-our-whole-lives-being-conditioned-into/) [Cliff James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-james/) > [My instincts are always against people who want to fasten some sort of hegemony onto things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-geertz/my-instincts-are-always-against-people-who-want-to-fasten-some-sort/) [Clifford Geertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-geertz/) > [In the end, peace can be achieved only by hegemony or by balance of power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-end-peace-can-be-achieved-only-by-hegemony-or-by-balance-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by John Mearsheimer > [Since the mid-1990s, Russian leaders have adamantly opposed NATO enlargement, and in recent years, they have made it clear that they would not stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/since-the-mid-1990s-russian-leaders-have-adamantly-opposed-nato/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [The unpleasant truth is that some borders are untenable and preserving them causes conflict, not peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/the-unpleasant-truth-is-that-some-borders-are-untenable-and/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Decapitation is a fanciful strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/decapitation-is-a-fanciful-strategy/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Great powers react harshly when distant rivals project military power into their neighborhood, much less attempt to make a country on their border an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/great-powers-react-harshly-when-distant-rivals-project-military-power/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [I hate sleeping in the woods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/i-hate-sleeping-in-the-woods/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [When the United States worked to contain the Soviet Union during the Cold War, we went to enormous lengths to get as many countries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/when-the-united-states-worked-to-contain-the-soviet-union-during-the/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [The central aim of American foreign policy has traditionally been to dominate the western hemisphere while not permitting another great power to dominate Europe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/the-central-aim-of-american-foreign-policy-has-traditionally-been-to/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Nuclear weapons are the ideal middle-class weapons for Americans. They provide massive amounts of deterrence on the cheap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/nuclear-weapons-are-the-ideal-middle-class-weapons-for-americans-they/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [States have two kinds of power: latent power and military power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/states-have-two-kinds-of-power-latent-power-and-military-power/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Erosion of sovereignty is one more reason a powerful state with a liberal foreign policy ends up fighting never ending wars and fostering militarism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/erosion-of-sovereignty-is-one-more-reason-a-powerful-state-with-a/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Simply put, the most powerful state is the one that prevails in a dispute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/simply-put-the-most-powerful-state-is-the-one-that-prevails-in-a/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [What disappoints me about Obama is that, when he came into office, he gave the impression he was going to reduce America's global commitments,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/what-disappoints-me-about-obama-is-that-when-he-came-into-office-he/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [The question of whether or not the United States or any other great power should expand, should pursue regional hegemony, or pursue global hegemony,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/the-question-of-whether-or-not-the-united-states-or-any-other-great/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [The more closely any ism accords with human nature, the more relevance it will have in the real world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/the-more-closely-any-ism-accords-with-human-nature-the-more-relevance/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Offensive realism predicts that the United States will send its army across the Atlantic when there is a potential hegemon in Europe that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/offensive-realism-predicts-that-the-united-states-will-send-its-army/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) [Explore all 121 John Mearsheimer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) ## More Borders quotes > [We have to get control of our borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/we-have-to-get-control-of-our-borders/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. 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But I feel very uncomfortable about placing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/when-we-talk-about-contemporary-art-and-contemporary-artists-we/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [Photography... unites the obvious and the unconscious at the level of the limimal - the border between what we see and what we suspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-lorca-dicorcia/photography-unites-the-obvious-and-the-unconscious-at-the-level-of/) [Philip-Lorca diCorcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-lorca-dicorcia/) > [When you have the Chief of Staff of the Republican National Committee and the political director of the Romney campaign, and their two companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-caddell/when-you-have-the-chief-of-staff-of-the-republican-national-committee/) [Patrick Caddell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-caddell/) > [Fifty thousand people in Mexico have been murdered. Puerto Penasco, 60 miles south of our border, just had five people and a police officer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-brewer/fifty-thousand-people-in-mexico-have-been-murdered-puerto-penasco-60/) [Jan Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-brewer/) > [The unpleasant truth is that some borders are untenable and preserving them causes conflict, not peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/the-unpleasant-truth-is-that-some-borders-are-untenable-and/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Interesting things happen along borders - transitions - not in the middle where everything is the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/interesting-things-happen-along-borders-transitions-not-in-the-middle/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [At no other time (than autumn) does the earth let itself be inhaled in one smell, the ripe earth; in a smell that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/at-no-other-time-than-autumn-does-the-earth-let-itself-be-inhaled-in/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [House Republicans want to pass a strong border security, illegal immigration bill. 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